Another Short Story Anthology

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Last week, I heard that my story, Christmas in Venice, will be published by Whortleberry Press. I love this press and the editor in chief,  Jean Goldstrom, is a joy to work with. I’m thrilled to be in this next publication with the other great writers over there.

The theme of the anthology is Christmas Angels and the stories are all either sci-fi, horror or fantasy. Mine occurs in Venice, Italy and has a bit of a time travel element. It was a tough one to write. I tinkered and tinkered with it and finally got it to a semblance of something I could be proud of, but for a while, it was kicking my butt.  I hope the folks that read it end up liking it.

I’m not sure when it comes out, but I’ll post the cover as soon as it’s ready.

 

“Entangled” – An Anthology to Help in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

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There’s a book that came out today that’s full of great stories and it’s for a great cause as well. All proceeds of the book willl  be donated to breast cancer research. Here’s an interview about it. 

Q: Tell us about Entangled.

A: Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal stories from authors Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Edie Ramer, plus a brand new Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan. Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan. All proceeds from the sale of Entangled will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

 Q: Are the stories connected?

A: The anthology has a Halloween theme, so the stories all have Halloween elements in them.

 Q: Are they all one genre?

A: All the stories paranormal, but some are heavier on suspense, while others have more romance. We even have a young adult story by Jennifer Estep that’s related to herMythosAcademyseries.

 Q: How did you all come up with the decision to do this book? Who initiated it and how did you all get together?

A: Edie Ramer and Misty Evans wanted to do a collaboration together, and over three or four emails earlier this year, they decided to do a paranormal anthology of short stories and have the proceeds go to breast cancer. They invited authors whose books they read and enjoyed, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

 Q: Tell us more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

A: BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade. Their research has revealed that the “cure” is a mosaic made up of as many approaches to diagnosing, treating, preventing and surviving as there are different types of breast cancer. The anthology is also a mosaic made up of many stories donated for this worthwhile cause.

 Q: Is there a time limit on purchasing Entangled so the proceeds go to the BCRF?

A: Entangled will available for at least a year and all proceeds will go to BCRF, no matter when it’s purchased. After a year, if it’s still selling well, we’ll keep it available, and again, all proceeds will go to BCRF.

 Q: How much will the ebook cost?

A: Entangled will be discounted to $2.99 during September and October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. After that the price will go up to $3.99. For stories of this caliber, it’s a fantastic deal at either price.

 Q: Can people donate to the cause even if they can’t or don’t want to purchase Entangled?

A: Absolutely. Go to  http://www.bcrfcure.org to make a donation in your name, or in the name of someone you know who’s been touched by breast cancer.

Here’s some info on the stories in the book:

Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan. 

Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

 All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

 Stories include:

 HALLOWEEN FROST by USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep (author of theMythosAcademy, Elemental Assassin, and Bigtime series) — It’s Halloween atMythosAcademy, but Gwen Frost and her friends are in for more tricks than treats when they run into a mythological monster intent on killing them.

 THE FAT CAT by Edie Ramer (author of Cattitude, Galaxy Girls) — In a battle for the souls of seven women, a wizard has the god of war on his side; all the witch has is a fat, black cat.

 MEDIUM RARE by Nancy Haddock (author of the Oldest City Vampire trilogy) —What’s spooking the spirits ofSt. Augustine? As the witching hour of Halloween approaches, ghost seer Colleen Cotton must team with a by-the-book paranormal investigator to locate the one ghost who can save the city’s specters. If she fails, her own great grandfather’s spirit may be lost forever.

 SWEET DEMON by Misty Evans (author of the Witches Anonymous series) —When Chicago’s vampire king insists Kali Sweet join his empire, the vengeance demon must rely on her ex – the half-human, half-chaos demon who left her at the altar three hundred years ago – in order to escape the vamp’s clutches.

 SIAN’S SOLUTION by Dale Meyer (author of the Psychic Visions series) — When a vampire discovers the human man she loves has been captured and hung in a blood farm, she goes against her own kind and risks everything to save him.

 A BIT OF BITE by Cynthia Eden (author of NEVER CRY WOLF and ANGEL OF DARKNESS) — A killer is stalking the streets of Crossroads, Mississippi, and it’s up to Sheriff Ava Dushaine to stop him. But when suspicion falls on werewolf alpha Julian Kasey—Ava’s ex-lover and the man who still haunts her dreams—Ava knows that she’ll either have to prove his innocence…or watch the whole town go up in flames.

 SINFULLY SWEET by Michelle Miles (author of the Coffee House series) — When Chloe bakes a little magic into her pastries, she attracts the attention of Edward, the sexy half-demon, half-witch, who’s come to warn her those who murdered her sister are now after her.

 A NIGHT OF FOREVER by Lori Brighton (author of A Night of Secrets and To Seduce an Earl) — Who is Aidan Callaghan? Mary Ellen James is intent on uncovering the truth about the mysterious man, but as she soon finds out, some things are best left buried in the past.

 FEEL THE MAGIC by Liz Kreger (author of the Part of Tomorrow series) — Jenna Carmichael’s magical attempt to rectify Jessica Manfield’s birth identity takes an unexpected turn when the past comes back to haunt her.

 BREAKING OUT by Michelle Diener (author of the Tudor-set historical suspense novel In A Treacherous Court) — Imprisoned in a secret facility, powerful telekinetic Kelli Barrack and two other ‘special’ inmates grab a chance to escape, only to confront their worst nightmares on the outside.

 GHOSTLY JUSTICE, an all-new Seven Deadly Sins novella by New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan (author of the Seven Deadly Sins series) — Demon hunters Moira O’Donnell and Rafe Cooper are dragged into the dangerous world of nocturnal predators to find “Ghostly Justice” for a virgin sacrificed to an ancient blood demon.

If I Could Say Anything without Consequence

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Just Say No

Truth or Consequences

Ok, this prompt is crazy! You do know the internet is forever and anyone can read what is posted? So, why would anyone EVER answer this prompt? If you answer it, trust me on this, there WILL BE consequences. Just walk away from the prompt. In fact, don’t walk, run!

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A Fascinating Time Period

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1930s Shoes-3

I love the early 1920s to the kate 1930s It was a time of peace in our country. Other than the stock market crash and Prohibition, people had fun, new dances were created, and the country underwent fantastic changes in many areas of life, such as architecture, art and science. The clothes were the cat’s meow and the shoes, well, the shoes were to die for. Being a shoe hound, I love that!

I wrote one book that’s out now called REDEMPTION FOR THE DEVIL and it’s based in 1920. I have a manuscript out on submission called THE GAMBLER and it’s based in 1937. They were both fun to write and weave in history and culture to the  plots.

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Hall-o-ween Hell-o-ween

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Got an email today with the cover of Hall-o-ween, Hell-o-ween Anthology to be published by Whortleberry Press. It’s an anthology with tours of the underworld. It will be available in September.  This will be my third Halloween story with them. This editor was the first one to say yes to one of my stories. This press will always have a special place in my heart for that.  Anyway, here’s the cover. See my cute little name right at the top on the back? NICE!

My story is called Music Hall, Music Hell and it’s a tour of the musice clubs in Hell, including San Remo Emo,  The Polka Pub, and Sam Fram’s Disco, to name a few.  It was a fun one to write.

What I’d Name My Own Clothing Line

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leather jacket

My clothing line would be called SS&J for white Shirts, Scarves and Jackets.

I like to wear a white shirt, a solid skirt and then accessorize with scarves and jackets. I like classics but I also like quirky and fun. It’s easy to dress with a solid base and then kick it up a notch with interesting colored jackets and patterned scarves. I’m a lawyer and I have to look neat and tidy as well as professional but I do like to be an indiviualist and nonconformist. No dull black or navy suits for moi.

I just recenlty bought a buttery soft olive green leather blazer and can’t wait to wear it this fall. If the 100 degree weather would just go away, I could be stylin’ in my new togs!

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New Story Coming Sept 2011

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I have a new short story coming out September in a Halloween Anthology. The Anthology is called Halloween Hell-o-ween and it’s stories about tours of hell. My story is called Music Hall, Music Hell. It’s a tour of all the music clubs in hell. It’s a fun little story. I don’t  have a picture of the cover yet but as soon as I do, I’ll post it. 

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I miss the days that my kids wanted to dress up and have a ball. We used to have a big party every year but it seemed like our friends lost interest in it and I stopped. It’s a lot of work because I never want anyone to leave my house hungry, so when it seemed like my friends weren’t interested in coming anymore, I decided to stop going to all the trouble. I do miss it but my little stories I write help me get in the fall mood.

One day, I’d love to go to Salem, Massachusetts  for the holiday. It calls to me.  I think it would be an amazing place to celebrate.

The Last Installment of the Harry Potter Films

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I was probably one of the last people to see this one. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but things kept coming up to prevent me from getting to the theatre. I finally saw it on Friday and there were only about eight of us in the room, so I figure that the rest of the population has seen it.

I have to confess that I was a bit disappointed in it. The first thing that annoyed me was the lighting. Yes, I get that it was supposed to be an Armageddon type battle but the cinematography was terrible. There was a lot of this film that I couldn’t see. I had to peer at the screen to determine what action was occurring. In the scene with the horde on the hill, the hill was black, the death eaters wore black, the sky was black…  See where I’m going with this?  It was quite hard to discern what was what. Very annoying and it took me right out of the story.

As to the flash back scene with Snape, I was highly disappointed with that. As anyone who has read this blog knows, Alan Rickman is my absolute favorite actor and I’ve always felt like he was underutilized in this series of films. Again, we have the same issue. This scene was beautifully written in the book and the film version made short shrift of it and didn’t engage my emotions as the written word did.  It could have been done so much better but I think the film maker wanted to focus on flash and action, not emotion. We were saying goodbye to characters we loved and I wanted it to be more poignant.

The film seemed disjointed and more about the special effects than the story.  I mean, really, why did the director spend so much time in Bellatrix’s vault and in the room of requirement? Just to show off the special effects?  That”s how it felt to me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were parts I liked but overall, this one was not the best of the films. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with me and remember, this is only my opinion so don’t crucify me in the comments. We can agree to disagree if need be.

So, all in all, in my opinion, the final movie fell short of my expectations.  Sad, really, as I hoped the series would go out with a bang, not a whimper.

From Warner Bros Site

Bizarreness

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I’ve been crazy busy since I got back from Italy and realized it’s been a month since I blogged here. In a bizarre twist, my visits are up in the last week by over a 100 a day. What the heck? Is it better for me to be silent? LOL!  Here’s an awesome picture I took in Italy. I just love the textures in this picture.

Sorry for the Neglect

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I’ve been busy, busy since I got back from NYC on the 3rd of July and now I’m off tomorrow to Italy so it’s been hard to get over here to blog. I’ll be back soon and will have a chance to be more proactive here. Hang tight for a while longer.